Jaom question

[TheBigAR]

I started a joes ancient the other day and it seems to be bubbling away just fine. The directions say not to rack until around 2 months when the fruit falls and it clears. Once the fruit falls at around 2 months is it safe to bottle then? Or should i rack it and let it sit?

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi TheBigAR - and welcome. With JAOM you need to follow the directions precisely. If the recipe suggests you bottle as soon as the fruit falls (ie because much of the CO2 in solution has dissipated the fruit can no longer stay afloat) and the mead is clear(the yeast will have flocculated and so dropped out of solution) then that's the time to bottle... BUT you may find that the mead has not yet become bright and clear and /or the fruit may still be in suspension... so I would wait while longer. I have never chosen to make JAOM but racking would not seem to be indicated as the recipe calls for bread yeast and bread yeast does not pack into "cakes". At the slightest opportunity the yeast will flow back into solution and you will have a very cloudy , yeast filled mead.

 

[Maylar]

Timing depends on a few things, including temperature. The general instructions say you can bottle after 100 days. Just for reference, the one gallon batch I made in August (75° F -ish) went like this:

After 30 days -

At 65 days the fruit had fallen -

At 75 days I racked to a clean carboy, just to be sure no more lees would fall out -

And bottled it about 2 weeks later.

 

[TheBigAR]

Thanks! I guess ill just rack it once the fruit falls and wait until its clear enough to bottle. I guess its safe to bottle then just maybe not clear enough